Trusting Instincts
by waywardrenegades
Summary: What I think should have happened when Andy got out of the laundromat  2x04  One shot.  Disclaimer: I own nothing of Rookie Blue.


**_Author's Note:  
>This is my first Fan Fic ever! So please be kind. Reviews are always welcome, constructive criticism even more so!<br>Hope you enjoy :) _**

Sam Swarek looked up from the cell phone clenched in his fist at the sound of squealing of tires and blaring sirens.

His heart rate began to return to normal pace as he saw the firetruck pull into the parking lot, firefighters jumping out of the truck before the truck had come to a full stop.

As much as he hated working with the hose monkeys, he had to admit that he was relieved they were there. And how could he berate the men who were going to save two people's lives? Going to save his partner's life.

He began to walk quickly with long, purposeful strides away from where he had been leaning against his squad car to the bright red firetruck.

"Let's make it work, guys," one firefighter called to his team as Jo Rosatti caught up to him.

"In there," she barked, thrusting her thumb in the direction of the charred laundromat.

Sam raised the phone to his ear quickly, speeding up his gait until it was almost at a jog and he had fallen into step beside the fire chief.

"I've got her on the phone right now," he informed him, barely struggling to keep up with the chief.

Oliver stared at his friend and the fire fighter coming towards the entrance of the building. Sam's hand was pressing his cell phone to his ear, his face contorted into the determined expression that Oliver knew well.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shaw asked incredulously, raising a hand in a vain attempt to stop Sam.

Sam glanced back over his shoulder as he passed his best friend, his dark eyes full of a passion and fire that had been missing since he'd returned from undercover. But there was something else, something that had never been in Sam Swarek's repertoire. Fear. He feared for the life of the woman trapped in the crumbling building. The woman he'd trained himself. The woman he'd watched become a great cop. The woman he had some how fallen in love with in the process.

"Sam!" Oliver shouted after him.

"Follow me," the chief instructed as he crunched through the fallen debris on the ground with his heavy boots.

Sam glanced around himself, looking down at his feet to avoid tripping on anything. He wanted to get to Andy as soon as possible, but he'd be useless to her if he injured himself in the process.

"Walk where I walk and keep your head up."

Sam felt his boot squish through a puddle of liquid - probably laundry detergent from the smell and consistency - and glanced up just in time to stop himself from careening into the firefighter's back.

"We're gonna use the saw. Tell them to stand back and get under something solid."

Sam nodded and spoke into the phone, "Andy."

He paused, the split second of silence almost sending him over the edge into a panic, "Andy, are you there?"

"Sam. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm here."

Sam closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, just hearing her voice made him feel better, but he knew he wouldn't be able to calm down until he could see her, touch her, know that she was okay.

"They're gonna cut through, alright? You guys gotta find some cover and stay back," Sam explained, shouting the last few words as the firefighter started up the saw and pressed its spinning blade to the metal blocking the way.

Sam stepped back slightly, lowering the phone and sliding it into the pocket of his uniform pants as the firefighter slid the power saw through the metal, sparks shooting up around them like fireworks.

He watched him work impatiently, wanting nothing more than to kick the metal down himself and barrel through the doors to scoop Andy up and make sure she was alright.

A crack from above caused Sam's head to snap up and suddenly, he realized that all this commotion, all this activity, could send the still unstable building crashing to the ground. He clenched his teeth together, his hands balling into fists as he shot up a quick prayer to who ever was listening that they would all get out of there alive.

Then, finally, the crashing of metal as the obstacle fell to the ground was music to Sam's ears. The firefighter kicked the makeshift door in and stood to the side to let Sam peer inside, looking around desperately.

Sam shone his flashlight into the dark room, glancing up briefly at the sound of another shift of debris.

And then there it was - a hand - as the woman, Lydia, rounded the corner of the desk, stepping carefully over a charred object on the ground. Sam took her hand quickly as she struggled to regain balance, but passed her off to the nearest firefighter.

As much as he knew he should, he didn't care about her. He only wanted Andy.

She came in view - tired, covered in soot and still stunning - and Sam felt his heart stop in his chest. She was okay. They were both okay.

She stopped in her tracks and just looked at him for a moment, her breathing laboured, heavy.

Sam's face broke into a small smile, hoping to reassure her that he was there, he wasn't a mirage. She was saved. But it quickly slid off his face as he realized, they still had to exit the building safely.

He reached both hands out and took Andy's forearms in his strong grip, helping her as she stepped over the fallen metal. Her eyes were wide as she looked at her former TO officer's familiar face.

"Hey," she said, her voice rough, gravelly.

"Come on," he said sharply. He could let himself be relieved once she was outside. Right now, he only wanted to get her as far out of harm's way as he could.

"Yeah," she agreed, her voice breaking as she leaned on his arm.

Sam took a deep breath as his face broke into the sunlight, Andy's death grip still on his forearm as he led her outside into the fresh air. He stopped walking and turned to face his partner as her fingers went slack and dropped from him, as though she had just realized who she'd been clinging to.

"Andy..." he said softly.

Her head snapped up to his dark brown eyes at the use of her first name and her pulse accelerated, having nothing to do with the near death experience she'd just had.

"Sam, I'm okay."

He shook his head and gripped her upper arm in his strong hand, half leading, half dragging her to the nearest ambulance.

"Take a look at her," he ordered the nearest paramedic.

"Sam, I told you. I'm fine," Andy protested weakly before dissolving into coughs.

A muscle twitched in Sam's jaw as he folded his arms across his chest and stepped back to let the medic work.

"She has a little smoke inhalation," the EMS worker said finally. "But other than, she's going to be fine."

Sam nodded sharply as Andy said petulantly, "I told you so."

He ignored her, watching as the paramedic walked away, leaving them alone for the first time since that morning.

"Just spit it out, Sam," Andy said, reaching up to try and rub the soot off her face with the filthy sleeve of her uniform shirt. Sam smirked a little at her attempt to clean up, which was just resulting in her moving the dirt around. He shook his head to remind himself that he was furious with her and could not be distracted by how adorable she was.

"What the hell were you thinking McNally?"

Andy rolled her eyes at her last name and let her arm fall to her side, abandoning her attempt to wipe her cheek.

"I wasn't going to let her go in alone."

"It was incredibly stupid."

"You keep telling me to trust my instincts, Sam. I did what I thought was best."

Sam let out a deep breath from between his clenched teeth, all the fight draining out of him at her words. His arms unfolded and fell to his sides as he turned and leaned against the ambulance, next to where she was seated.

He turned to face her, seeing her beautiful eyes watching him carefully.

"You're okay?" he asked, his voice quaking.

Andy nodded, "I'm okay."

Sam nodded and said, almost to himself, "You're okay."


End file.
